been rewatching lyst and in doing so i had this realization about the show's cycles and patterns through the lifetimes -
chu kong follows a pattern of living on after losing xiangyun. it's not even intentional, like after losing cang hai he had his memories wiped, and then after losing song xiangyun as lu changkong, he had promised to stay alive. so unless they die together or he dies first, if any version of chu kong loses any version of xiangyun, he will continue to live. xiangyun on the other hand, never survives without chu kong. of course there's the third lifetime when she, as xiaoxiang, kills herself upon his death. but even from the second lifetime, she says to her parents that if lu changkong dies, she will die too. so unless they die together or she dies first, because there is nothing stopping her, any version of xiangyun will follow any version of chu kong to death.
but then, at the very end when chu kong gives up his life to save xiangyun through the soul protecting spell, xiangyun lives. she doesn't immediately sacrifice herself and has faith in his return, thus breaking the pattern just like they broke the time loop. every cycle is closed, and that's how you know they'll finally have their happy ending.
A/N: not proof read; there's probably lots of errors😅. It's an unfinished list as well; I'll keep editing this post & adding extra shows to the list whenever I get time to write.
MY 3 FAVORITES:
"MONEY IS COMING": This is definitely one of my all-time favorites, complete with comedy, engaging political plots & a happy ending! Besides the perfect ML & FL, it features well-developed secondary characters & a good plot. Even the antagonists, as despicable as they may be, are well-written. What I really love is the healthy, affectionate, happy & spicy relationship between the dark Xiao Xinghang & the clever (transmigrator) Ning Chuxi: Their dynamic, the way they scheme together, support & listen to each other is couple goals; I also appreciate that Xiao is a respecter of women, and how Ning actually has the mindset of the strong modern grown woman that she is (not a pushover or a bashful maiden), as well as how Xiao accepts Ning's (modern) way of thought & values, which aligns with his own (despite it being considered "unconventional" for that historical time). Oh, I could go on and on about these two & this show XD.
"GUARDIANS OF THE DAFENG": Another transmigration series that I absolutely adore! A perfect blend of comedy, fantasy, politics & case solving; while the final episodes took a darker turn, the majority of the show was a comedic masterpiece that had me in stitches. Xu Qi'an’s goofy, puppy-like energy mixed with his genius, thirst for justice, and later, bloodshed/revenge (plus his hilarious habit of shamelessly lying - constantly!) was super refreshing & relatable; his crazy, dramatic but (kinda?) wholesome family had me literally crying from laughter. I do love a lot of the characters, like the Goulan Trio (Qi'an, Guangxia & Tingfeng), Qi'an's youngest cousin Xu Lingyin, & acquaintances Chu Caiwei & Song Qing. I love the insane tension between Chu Yuanzhen (aka the Saint) & Li Miaozhen (aka the Flying Woman). The kind of shit all the characters get up to in every episode had me laughing hysterically. I also find it amusing how this historical fantasy universe got "artifacts" that work like modern items, like guns & (a handful of) special phone-like devices.
The sad ending was a real shocker; while I had correctly guessed Qi'an's lineage, the way events unfolded and ended as a cliffhanger was completely unexpected. I NEED A SECOND SEASON!
"THE WHITE CAT LEGEND": A great blend of comedy, mystery, plot-twists, fantasy & loads of case-solving. While the show was a comedic gem for the most part, it did get dark as hell later on. I still want a second season, because the "unseen" Empress was sus as hell and I need to know what she's hiding.
I love Li Bing & his quirky crew. Of Ming Jing Hall, my faves are the beautiful, brilliant werecat Li Bing, the practical ex-scout Sun Bao & the hot depressed scribe Cui Bei. Wang Qi was such a bootlicker & douchebag, so I greatly enjoyed watching him in distress. Ali Baba (& his crush on Qin) was a hilarious mess. I didn't like Chen Shi; though kind & pure, his stupidity eventually annoyed me too much. My other 2 faves were the funny Officer Hu Si & scheming genius General Qiu Qingzhi. Both didn't deserve the tragic endings they got - Hu Si loyally defending Shangguan to the end, & Qiu doing everything for his husband boyfriend Li Bing till the end as well.
I admit, the deranged, psychopathic werecat Yi Zhi Hua was totally fucked up... but I never, ever expected that his tragic backstory (as a slave, human sacrifice & outcast) would make me actually pity him. The way he wept in the ending when he realized what "friendship" is... that was heartbreaking. IT DOES NOT, HOWEVER, EXCUSE HIS ACTIONS. He's still purely evil; a victim-turned-monster.
Little spoiler: What makes everything better is how all the cases connected, leading to one single old, huge, fucked up plot/conspiracy. And boy, the story around the The Five Stone Powder drug & Immortality drug was intriguing but messed up (iykyk).
OTHER GOOD SHOWS:
"LOVE YOU SEVEN TIMES": A whole-ass rollercoaster: slight comedy with heart-wrenching tragedy, stress-inducing politics & secret plots, shocking murders, betrayal, amnesia, sacrifice, multiple star-crossed lovers & a bittersweet... kinda... happy(-ish) ending.
It started as cute and funny... and then it got sadder. And sadder. With comedy sprinkled in every now & then. The amount of tears I cried during this show (esp. during all the tragic deaths that happened during the couple's multiple reincarnations (incl. their own deaths)) were truly... exhausting. However, I must admit, their giggly, cute young romance in their actual first lives (not reincarnations) was just my cup of tea (non-toxic, adorable, wholesome & enjoyable to watch). The mystery throughout the story, stemming from the betrayal & unforgivable crimes committed by a certain power-hungry supporting character (no, I won't spoil who's the true antagonist here) was both cruel and heartbreaking.
SHOWS I HAVEN'T FINISHED WATCHING YET
"TILL THE END OF THE MOON": I am only halfway through this show & I know I'll NOT enjoy the ending of this one. Tantai Jin is one of my top 5 favorite character - fine as hell & a true boss bitch: Highly intelligent, cunning as hell, but still morally upright. I love his ability to control & have two-sided conversations with animals (i guess that makes him Disney princess material lol). But of course, he suffers alone & is misunderstood throughout the show, even though he was always right. This guy deserved so much better. One of the many sad parts is the fact that he just wanted to be liked/loved like any normal person, instead of being hated for literally being born "different" (a magically gifted foreign hostage).
Tantai & Li Susu have one of the most abusive, toxic relationships ever - with Susu being abusive & Tantai clearly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Honestly, I hate Susu with a passion for being a self-righteous bigot, a hypocrite, a speciesist, & an abusive wife. The only "time" she was likeable was during her first incarnation as a kind water fairy. TBH, I still don't get why Tantai got feelings for his abuser, for 2 reasons: 1. She abused him verbally, psychologically & physically (evident by all the scars on his body & the times he almost died due to her bullshit, incl. punishments), and 2. he naturally is (kinda) unable to feel/understand feelings. Susu's few moments of kindness don't take away from the fact that she's a hateful bigot – she even confessed to wanting him killed (back when he was human!), despite his innocence.
"LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY & DEVIL": From what I know, this an intriguing fantasy series with mystery, comedy, and – unfortunately – a sad/star-crossed ending. What I really love about the series is the hilarious dynamic between Dongfang Qingcang & Orchid: The murderous great Demon Lord forced by a curse to constantly be at the mercy of the most oblivious, silly little fairy to have ever existed. I'm so gonna enjoy watching Qingcang somehow develop feelings for the fairy who unknowingly annoys the ever-loving shit outta him (multiple times lol). There's a chance that I won't watch the ending, considering it isn't going to be happy at all.
THE JOURNEY OF CHONGZI: Worst c-drama I've watched; a series with one of the most abusive, toxic disciple-master romances (Yinfan murdered Chong Zi multiple times!). Chong Zi was annoying as hell, but didn't do anything wrong; she was just a naive clingy girl who was screwed over by everyone she trusted (e.g. her master Yinfan (the self-righteous old creep) + the other Nanhua masters), & hated for being born with demonic potential. Chong Zi's naive love & attachment to her abusive master Yinfan is just painful to watch. What also pisses me off is that this show is the worst at portraying women: usually they're portrayed as shallow, evil, jealous, traitorous, dumb &/or weak. Only (approximately) 2-3 women were well-written.
The reason I still watch this mess is because of the various interesting side characters (usually the demons); my faves being: Chu Bufu / Demon King Wan Jie (pookie deserved better), Yan Zhenzhu (sweet girl; the plot twist was genius, but crazy), Mu Yu (the sneaky liar!), Demon King Wang Yue (cheeky bastard) & his lover Mo Zu Meng Ji (sassy diva).
"FANGS OF FORTUNE": A good show whose characters were doomed from the start. A dark comedy turned into pure tragedy. It's clearly also a censored BL & GL + polyamorous as hell (as another user put it "her, her girlfriend, and her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's boyfriend, who is also her boyfriend".
I honestly feel like the protagonists (esp. Wen Xiao) got nerfed halfway through the show. The reveal involving Bai Lu (iykyk) & that one plot twist involving Zhu Yan's scheme with Pei was brilliant *chef's kiss*. There's a big chance that I won't watch the ending of this show since a whooping 80% of the protagonists die tragically (leaving only Wen Xiao & Zhou alive) – & I am not emotionally prepared for that bullshit.
"UNCHAINED LOVE": A blend of stressful politics, comedy & intrigue. I adore Bu Yinlou; she's a totally silly goofball, but I love her feminist way of thought (it's refreshing fr), which stands in stark contrast to fucked-up, misogynistic society that she lives in (seriously, the tradition of sacrificing maids & concubines after an emperor's death was vile & utterly horrifying!). I also love the mysterious Xiao Duo; glimpses into his tragic past hint at why he eventually went down a morally grey path & that his dark ways/actions are for the greater good.
I really, really hope that Emperor Murong Gao Gong doesn't make this cute couple's ending tragic (but I'm not having a good feeling about where this partially dark, partially lighthearted show is heading...).
"JOURNEY TO LOVE": A political historical drama with comedic moments (esp. from the sidekicks). While I did root for Ning Yuanzhou, his crew & later Ren Ruyi (even though Ruyi was a red flag with the way she tried to force herself on Yuanzhou), my support went out of the window when the writers decided to dumb down the otherwise highly intelligent & dangerous Ruyi & Yuanzhou - the entire drama that happened because of their jealousy & misunderstandings were stupid & totally unproffesional; and what was worse was how the pair treated Ruyi's adoring/obsessed former student Marquis Li Tongguang; like how Ruyi coldly gaslit Tongguang (who was clearly NOT in any good mental state for such fuckery) & treated him like shit − even though he was on their side! How much would he not have eagerly helped them if he knew that his crush former master (Ruyi) was alive & amongst them? Like bro, they depended on him and yet tried to bite the (mentally unstable) hand that fed them. For fucks sake.
"THE UNTAMED": I'm totally Pro Wei Wuxian. He was too good for the assholes around him − yes, that includes Purple Spider Yu Ziyuan (aka evil reincarnate), her hateful son Jiang Cheng & the intolerant Lan Qiren. TBH, Jiang Cheng could've been a good man, but by the beginning of the series, he was already so corrupted by his toxic & abusive mother to be saved. I still think his dad could've done better parenting-wise (I might be wrong, though).
I still have much to watch of this show when I get back to it (I've not been watching it in a long time now), so I'll be back & write more of my opinions later!
